1. SOURCES AND DIFFERENTCONCEPTIONS OF THE SELF, IDENTITYAND DIFFERENCE

2. Symbolic Interactionism Meads TheoryMead is usuallyseen as the founderof symbolicinteractionism. 3. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM Symbolic interactionists emphasise the ways inwhich society is actively shaped by individualsand the meanings they attach to everydaythings. Symbolic interactionism is usually regarded as asocial action theory. 4. MEADHe argued that humans interact through the use of symbols such as Visual signs (red traffic light = stop)ExpressionsVisual gestures(frown = angry)(waving = hello)Sounds (siren =emergency)Verbal (scream= fear)Shared understanding of these symbols and how to respond to them formthe basis of communication.Whilst we are each conscious individuals, the way in which we choose tobehave is influenced by the social context of that behaviour. 5. THE I AND THE ME G. H. Mead (1934) described our awareness of howothers see us. The I is the spontaneous side of ourpersonality which would like to act freely, but we areaware of the way generalised others of our societyview us and expect us to behave and this moreinhibiting self concept seen through the eyes ofothers is termed the me. 6. C.H.COOLEY - LOOKING GLASS SELF Cooley (1922) aptly calledtheme side of our self thelooking glass self, referringto how, after a while, we beginto view ourselves as if otherseyes are a mirror. 7. How does it link to symbolic interactionismSymbolic interactionism: A sociological perspective on selfand society based on the ideas of George Mead (1934). Thecentral theme of symbolic interactionism is that human life isbased on the use of symbols. Through language andcommunication, symbols provide the means by which realityis constructed.Meads work: Human behaviour is social because peopleinteract in terms of symbols. Symbols stand for other objectsand imply certain behaviour. For example; The no entrysymbol implies to the majority of people that they cannotenter. Therefore Meads work is credible that we followsymbols, however as the majority follow this rule, does thisshow there must be some sort of collective norms and values?Can we really say that reality being so complex comes downto simply the use of symbols? However, Meads work isaccurate that we do associates symbols with meanings. 8. HOW USEFUL IS MEADS THEORY TO ANUNDERSTANDING OF SOCIETY? Although Meads theory is over 70 years old,humans do relate the meanings of symbolsto what they do, i.e at a red traffic light, themajority of people would stop. Therefore,Mead is correct to an extent. However, Mead states that we as individualsshape society, but for the majority to abideby the symbols, rules and regulations theremust be some sort of collective conscience,norms and values. In order to have shared meanings, it mustfeed off some sort of structural factors. 9. LABELLING THEORY Perhaps the most well known application of symbolicinteractionism is labelling theory. Developed initiallyby H Becker it has been used widely in Education andDeviance. We all label people and objects Those with power are able to label someone, andmake others accept that label Labelling of humans can lead to a self-fulfillingprophecy If the label is especially damaging, it can become amaster status 10. EVALUATION OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM It over-emphasises the significance of theindividual. There tends to be little conception ofsocial structures. It cannot explain power relationships in society inthe way that Marxists or feminists have. It does notexplain why some individuals / social groups aremore powerful than others. It concentrates too much on small-scale, trivialaspects of social life, therefore ignoring the muchbigger picture of life at a society-wide level ofanalysis. 11. EVALUATION It believes that nearly everything is sociallyconstructed so logically one could argue thatsociology is itself a social construct, and thereforeuseless? It fails to explain social order and social change. Ethnomethodologists(focus on how people makesense of their world) believe it fails to explain howactors create meanings Reynolds (1975) found evidence that interactionistsignore power and class as being important conceptsof interactionism. 12. ERVING GOFFMAN Goffman saw the social world as beingrather like a drama, or a performance in aplay. His work is therefore referred to as adramaturgicalapproach. 13. ERVING GOFFMAN Individuals put on a performance for others toconvince them about who they are. Like an actor, they have to believe in the role inorder to be convincing. In the process they maybecome the person they are trying to project animage of. 14. ERVING GOFFMAN Goffman describes this process as ThePresentation of Self in Everyday Life (1959) through presenting him- or herself in particular rolesthe individual develops identities. 15. ERVING GOFFMAN Goffman admits thatthe roles available forus to adopt are notunlimited and thatindividuals aretherefore constrainedby the range of socialroles available in aparticular society at aparticular time. 16. GOFFMANS (1961) STUDY Read his study on page 23 in your textbook.Explain his study in detail, ensuring you define thekey concepts such as mortification, totalinstitutions and institutionalised. How can this study be used to support Goffmansdramaturgical theory? How can this be used to challenge the idea of aself-fulfulling prophecy? 17. EVALUATION How may sociologists criticise Goffmans theory? 18. SIGMUND FREUD Freud was the founder ofpsychoanalysis. He argued that people possess anunconscious mind which containsrepressed feelings and desireswhich they are not aware of. 19. SIGMUND FREUD Many of these are concernedwith pleasure-seeking andsexuality. To develop into apsychologically well-balancedadult, the child needs to learnto control these desires, andto identify with the same-sexparent. For Freud, childhoodexperiences were vital for thedevelopment of identities inadulthood. 20. SIGMUND FREUD This relates to identity as it suggests that we bringchildhood experiences, even those about which weare not conscious of, to the decisions we make asadults. Identity positions we adopt may be the result ofunconscious feelings. Both gender and sexuality are important to ourunderstanding of identity. Our sense of who we areis most significantly linked to our awareness of ouridentities as women and men. 21. EVALUATIONS??? How may sociologists criticise Freudianexplanations of identity? What part of his theory may sociologists agreewith?